FGCU started giving students and faculty free Dunk City ID cards. Hundreds of students and staff members picked up the cards at the Cohen Center on Thursday.

Students and faculty waited in line, took a photo and received their cards. The student’s name and photo are on the card, which reads Dunk City in large print. Students also can get a twitter hash tag on the card. The cards can’t be used for dorm room access or meal plans.

Freshman Ebli De La Rosa, an engineering major, had #engineeringDunkCity placed on his card.

“I think it’s cool they are doing this,” De La Rosa said. “While the phenomenon is going on, you might as well take advantage of it.”

Eileen Regelski, a 19-year FGCU employee who works as an administration assistant in the registrar office, picked up a card Thursday.

“We’re reading everything we can about this team,” Regelski said. “We bought Dunk City shirts, and we’re getting these ID cards. This is part of our history now.”

Shirts still a hit

The morning saw about 50 people waiting in line, a smaller number than 200 who were waiting for the shirts Wednesday. In addition to the blue Sweet 16 shirt, the store had been selling, bookstore officials broke out a new green version of the shirt Thursday. The shirts cost $22.

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A gray Dunk City sweater, priced at $42, also was available, but it wasn’t a hit.

Meanwhile, the FGCU athletic department started selling $10 Dunk City shirts at its office on the third floor of Alico Arena. The blue shirts feature a Sweet 16 hashtag and must be purchased in cash.

The Alico Arena line for shirts was considerably smaller than the bookstore line.

All around world

The buzz surrounding Dunk City has gone global.

News of FGCU’s unexpected NCAA tournament wins against Georgetown and San Diego State has made it as far as Budapest, Hungary. A news leaflet produced by the city’s Marriott Hotel featured a blurb this week about the school’s victories and its game today against Florida in Dallas.

Featured in the sports section, the story was only a few paragraphs long. It explained FGCU’s history and where the campus is for benefit of national and international readers who have never heard of the school.

Mini Cooper ad

A Mini Cooper ad that surfaced on Twitter features a homage to the FGCU Eagles.

The ad shows an eagle sitting in the driver’s seat of a Mini Cooper. Its wing, which hangs out the open window, clutches a basketball.

“Here’s to the flying underdogs,” the ad reads.

The Twitter hashtag #WinSmall appears in the bottom corner.

FGCU spokeswoman Susan Evans said the university did not contribute to the ad.

“We are thrilled with all of the national support for our FGCU Eagles!” she said in an email.

Mini Cooper, which does not mention FGCU by name in the ad, did not return calls for comment Thursday.

Signs going up

More Dunk City signs started springing up around campus Thursday.

Several students wrote “Dunk City FGCU” on back of their cars. Dorms, such as Mangrove Hall, placed a sign near its stairwell. It read, “Mangrove Hall believes in the Eagles.”

The student union had several handwritten signs on its windows. In green writing, a student wrote “DUNK CITY” on a window near the cafeteria.

Dressing for video

Loren Filipek, 22, an FGCU accounting major and City of Bonita Springs finance employee, donned the city’s Pete the Pelican costume Thursday. The costume was the closest thing to an Eagle Filipek could find. She then danced for a Dunk City video the city is making.

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Filipek was thrilled to be joining about 100 other students on chartered buses Thursday for a 22-hour bus ride to Arlington, Texas, to watch the Eagles take on the Florida Gators in the NCAA college basketball tournament’s Sweet 16.

Teacher wins trip

Marjorie Howell-Quartey, a 40-year resident of Fort Myers, longtime subscriber to The News-Press and Fort Myers Middle School teacher, is the winner of The News-Press contest for game tickets, airfare and hotel to watch the FGCU play Florida tonight in Dallas. She’s taking her husband Ramsey Quartey, also a teacher, and their children, Gregory and Kimberly.

Watch the game

The Florida Everblades and Germain Arena will host a free game-watching party following the Everblades game against Orlando tonight. The Everblades game starts at 7:30 p.m. The FGCU/Florida game will be shown on the video boards in the main rink, as well as in the Breakaway’s Sports Pub at Germain Arena. Breakaway’s Sports Pub will offer half-priced appetizers and happy hour drink specials during the game.

Concession stands will remain open in the concourse. In addition, all FGCU students wishing to attend the Everblades game prior to the watch party can purchase $5 tickets at the Capital Bank Box Office by presenting their college ID. Admission to the watch party itself is free.